Central Dauphin grad Ryan Whiting was named the Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year Wed. June 22nd. He had been nominated and selected as the Gatorade PA T&F Athlete of the Year. Nicole Leach, West Catholic, was named the Gatorade PA Girls' T&F Athlete of the Year.
The following is the official press release from Gatorade
Central Dauphin High School's Ryan Whiting is Nation's Best
LONG BEACH, Calif. (June 22, 2005) - In its 20th Anniversary season of honoring the nation's elite high school athletes, Gatorade® Thirst Quencher, in partnership with Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director magazine, today announced Ryan Whiting of Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Penn., as the 2005 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. The announcement was made as part of a USA Track & Field press conference on Wednesday, prior to the start of this week's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
The award, which recognizes athletic achievement as well as the academic performance and overall character of its recipient, distinguishes Whiting as the nation's best high school boys track & field athlete. The Gatorade National Advisory Board, a group of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country, selected Whiting from the more than 500,000 male high school track & field athletes nationwide. Whiting is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Award, to be presented at an awards ceremony the afternoon prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
Whiting, a senior shot putter and discus thrower, is one of the top throwers in the country. Against top national competitors, Whiting claimed the shot put title (65 feet, 1.5 inches) at the Nike Indoor Nationals in March. In early June, he won double gold in the shot put (68 feet, 8.5 inches) and the discus (190 feet, 10 inches) at the adidas Golden West Invitational and finished second in both the shot put (67 feet, 8 inches) and discus (195 feet, 3 inches) at the Nike Outdoor Nationals the following week.
At home in Pennsylvania, Whiting was simply without an equal. At the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Track & Field Championships last month Whiting first won the Class AAA discus throw championship (201 feet, 9 inches), shattering his own state record by nearly eight feet. He then won the Class AAA shot put title (70 feet, 0 inches), becoming only the twelfth high school athlete to record a 70-foot throw and obliterating the existing PIAA state record of 66 feet, 5 inches set in 1972.
In addition to his athletic excellence, Whiting also maintains high standards in the classroom where he maintains a solid "B" average and scored 1120 on the SAT. An active member of his church and community, he has done volunteer work for the Four Diamonds Cancer Fund.
"Ryan is an incredible athlete, and an even better person," says Central Dauphin High Head Coach Tom Eck. "He has excellent grades, and is a well-rounded student-athlete."
Whiting will attend Arizona State University in the fall.